We have an exciting opportunity for a fully funded PhD place at the University of Glasgow. The project will join health geography / epidemiology, environmental science and cell biology. The project will be supervised by Profs Rich Mitchell, Paul Shiels and Ewan Macdonald. The funding comes from the MRC. The financial package will include a 3.5-year stipend, approved University of Glasgow fees, Research Training Support Grant (RTSG) and a conference allowance.

What’s the project about? There is strong evidence that physical environment affects our health in both positive and negative ways, but we remain uncertain how different environmental characteristics ‘get under our’ skin to have these effects. In this project, the student will join data from individuals resident in Glasgow, including biomarkers of healthy ageing, clinical measures of cardiovascular and respiratory health and blood biochemistry, with data about a variety of environmental characteristics including air quality, their access to green spaces and the nature of their urban landscape. The aim will be to assess whether these various physical environmental characteristics are associated with biomarkers and/or physiological measures of healthy ageing, and hence ask if and how life in different kinds of environment affects our biological health. The project will assess whether any impacts of environment are the same for different kinds of people, including those more and less deprived. It may also be possible to assess similar relationships in other locations. The study will use existing datasets, and suit someone interested in both the biology of healthy ageing and our environment.

More details, including how to apply, can be found here. Please read the instructions carefully. NB Applicants will normally be expected to reside (or have residency) within the UK. EU nationals will have to demonstrate that they have spent the three years prior to application resident in the UK (this can include residence whilst undertaking undergraduate study). The application deadline is Friday 2 May 2014

if you are interested, we strongly recommend that you get in touch with either Prof Mitchell or Prof Shiels to discuss your application.